Stream SPE Ltd agreed to pay an administrative penalty for infringing on rules governing payment plans for outstanding customer bills, according to an April 23 settlement filed by the Texas Public Utility Commission staff. The agreement resolves claims related to the investigation into nearly 4,000 improperly applied switch-holds placed on customer accounts between Jan. 1,…
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is investigating the marketing and sales practices of two retail energy providers in the state, Indra Energy and Verde Energy. Commission staff reviewed customer contacts and filed a notice to the regulator alleging potential misleading and deceptive practices by PALMco Energy OH and PALMco Power OH, which together do…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission opened an investigation into Verde Energy USA Ohio LLC’s sales practices in response to hundreds of complaints related to enrollment disputes, deceptive information, and false representations purporting the competitive supplier to be another utility, according to an April 16 notice. The agency said that 18 percent of the supplier-related investigations…
Maine House lawmaker Diane Denk, a Democrat, introduced legislation on April 11 that would establish a process to enable a municipality, which is served by two transmission and distribution utilities, to choose one of them to meet all its power needs. (LD 1542) To make the choice, the municipality would hold a referendum made by…
New Mexico’s Democratic Governor Michelle Grisham has signed legislation on April 3, which amends the 2005 Efficient Use of Energy Act, creating better incentives for utilities to engage in energy efficiency and conservation by removing the economic incentive to sell more energy. The Efficient Use of Energy Act of 2005 allows electric and natural gas utilities to implement cost-effective energy…
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued a secretarial letter on April 3 to all electric and natural gas suppliers in the state reminding them of sales and marketing guidelines for the state’s residential energy market. The letter follows the imposition of civil penalties and remedial action against multiple electric generation suppliers for violating rules that govern door-to-door…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is taking comments on a proposal by Idaho Power for a uniform increase to all base rates of 0.11 percent in order to finance the retirement of the North Valmy generating station, a two-unit coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 522 megawatts. The utility’s proposal calls for additional retirement costs to be…
The New York State Public Service Commission established a three-year rate plan for electric and gas service for customers of Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., reducing the rate request by 80 percent. Under its last proposal, the utility sought a total electric revenue increase of $30 million, or 3.3 percent, and a $2.2 million gas revenue…
Florida Power & Light Company submitted a petition with the Florida Public Service Commission for approval of a new voluntary community solar program, FPL SolarTogether, which allows customers to subscribe to a portion of new solar capacity built through the program and receive a credit for a portion of the system’s savings, according to a March 14…
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission doubled down on the civil penalties imposed as part of a settlement agreement with Vista Energy Marketing LP, following an investigation into the company’s marketing and sales practices as a licensed electric generation supplier in Pennsylvania, according to a March 14 press release. The Commission voted 5-0 to approve a…
Xcel Energy Inc. announced its Renewable Connect Program, which allows customers who subscribe to source up to 100 percent of their electricity from renewables like wind and solar, according to a March 11 press release. The program gives customers the flexibility to choose how much of their electricity should come from renewables and for how long, with subscription options…
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio accepted the results of AEP Ohio’s wholesale power auction which resulted in six winning bidders and an average clearing price of $46.63 per megawatt hour (MWh), according to a March 6 press release. The auction, held on March 5, 2019, will be combined with previous results to set the…